Strings Attached
One necessity on the path to becoming a proficient musician is to devote oneself to practise. The rewards and joy that music can bring rely on this important step.
Robin Pratt hosted a guitar recital for his students in the Drama Centre on Friday 1 December 2017. Students from across the Junior School, Middle School, and Senior School demonstrated their talents on a range of guitars, and the audience was treated to rock, pop, and traditional tunes.
It was evident how much the students had improved over a year of practice and many were brimming with confidence and in their element, standing before the audience. It is delightful to watch a young musician so engrossed in musical performance that they seem almost unaware of their surroundings.
Robin Pratt is one of many dedicated Instrumental Tutors at Mercedes College. If your child is considering taking up an instrument in 2018, or joining an ensemble, more information can be found on the College website.
In other string news, the Year 2 students were measured for their orchestral string instruments this term. The current Year 3 cohort gave presentations and a brief performance on their instrument to entice the Year 2 students to nominate their preferred instrument. Thank you to Emma Woolcock (Violin Tutor), Joseph Freer (Cello Tutor), and Robin Pratt (Guitar Tutor) for leading these presentations.
Congratulations Ada Parker-Minniecon
Congratulations to Ada Parker-Minniecon who has successfully auditioned for Elder Conservatorium of Music, The University of Adelaide. She has been accepted into a performance degree, and we look forward to hearing great things about her music career in the future.
A Message about the Certificate II Music Industry Course
Daniel Young in Year 10 has just completed his Certificate II course while also juggling his school commitments. He had this to say about his experience:
As a person who loves all things music, I felt this year that I needed to venture out further into the industry to start getting an idea of where my passion for music can take me in the future. I was lucky enough to come across an enrolment form for Certificate 2 Music Industry Technology. This was to be a yearlong course that explains the ins and outs of music production, recording, performance set up, and more.
The highlight of this course for me was learning to become more confident in my abilities because what I have learned from this course is that if you can’t trust yourself, you will not get anywhere. Performing various tasks such as setting up for gigs and band performances has helped to reinforce that confidence, allowing me to be able to rely on my own abilities to get what I want done. This, coupled with a great sense of group unity and awesome music-making, was what I most enjoyed about my course.
Daniel Young
Junior School Musicians
Year 5 students finished their PYP on a high note. Last Wednesday 29 November, Rebecca Pfitzner led an ensemble of singers, guitarists, and percussionists through an epic graduation song in Gleeson Hall. Rebecca had this to say about the event:
Year 5 students performed Another one Graduates to the well-known tune, Another one bites the dust by Queen. Their performance was a culmination of the skills they have learned throughout the year and during their time in the Junior School. Students performed on bass guitar, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drum kit, marimba, vocals, and also assisted in writing some of the song lyrics. It was an engaging and enthusiastic performance to celebrate their time in the Junior School and progression into the Middle school, and a fitting ending to the Graduation service.
Rebecca Pfitzner
PYP Music Teacher
Preparing for 2018
Enrolments for instrumental lessons and music ensembles were due on 27 November 2017. You will be contacted by one of our friendly instrumental tutors during January 2018 to inform you about your child’s lesson time and you may liaise directly with that tutor to clarify any requirements prior to the start of lessons.
If you have any specific enquiries about your music account or the music ensembles please do not hesitate to contact the Coordinator of Instrumental Music, Samantha Taylor by email.
Finale
As I write the final article for the year, I reflect upon the many wonderful experiences I have had with the students and staff over the past twelve months. The end of any chapter brings with it a mixture of emotions, and the conclusion of this year is particularly emotional for me.
I am at the end of my tenure as Coordinator of Music and Performance. In order to keep giving my best to my students, I have opted for some time away from the classroom to invest in my creativity and professional development. Therefore, I am taking twelve months’ leave to pursue creative endeavours in 2018. I thank Peter Daw for supporting my request, allowing me to balance being a performing arts practitioner and a teacher.
Few understand the pressures that teachers face, and I work with very dedicated people who give a lot to their roles. So this is farewell, for now, to the Mercedes College community. I thank the families who have supported the music programmes and attended the many performances over the years. I have had many memorable years here and it has been a privilege to be a part of so many students’ lives, and witness their development.
Jennifer Trijo
Coordinator of Music and Performance R – 12
In this issue
Important Dates
Friday 8 December
Middle School End of Year Presentation Assembly
8:45am - 10:30am
Middle and Senior School End of Year Mass
11:00am
Gleeson Hall
End Term 4
12:30pm Dismissal
Thursday 1 February 2018
Start of Term 1 2018
The Brother Michael Christmas Hamper Appeal
Thank You Mercedes College Community
The Brother Michael Christmas Hamper Appeal would like to express our sincere gratitude to the students and families of the College for the generous grocery donations we received for this year’s hampers. Members of our committee arrived at the College to find boxes and boxes of donated items for our distribution to those in need this Christmas.
Our thanks to Pat Terminello for again arranging these donations and to Paul Jarvis and the Year 9 students for sorting items into categories and loading them into our cars, this made the work of our small committee much easier and also gave the students an idea of the generosity of their school community.
- The Brother Michael Christmas Hamper Committee
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